Railway car



3 SheetSII-Sheet l Nov.; 10, 1936.

W. E. WINE RAILWAY CAR Filed Aug. l, 1954 W. E. WINE RAILWAY CAR Nov. 10, 1936.

Filed Aug. l, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENToR 5. 2ML.. fra: M JAATrORNEYJ 1 W. E. WINE Nov. 10, 1936.

RA I LWAY CAR 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. l, 1934 mmmllim'llmmm Patented Nov. 1.0, 10936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application August 1,

7 Claims.

My invention relates to railway cars and more particularly to improvements in the end construction thereof, which includes the body bolster.

The principal object of the invention is to provide improved means for rigidifying a railway car, principally the ends thereof, against draft and buiiing forces.

Another object of th-e invention is to provide a body bolster with means particularly adapted to resist bufng and draft forces and to .also effectively resist overturning moments induced by these forces.

A primary feature of the invention consists in providing a railway car with diagonal braces which extend inwardly from the corners of the car and are rigidly secured to the center sill intermediate the top thereof and a portion of the body bolster which overlies the center sill.

Another feature of the invention consists in providing a body bolster of truss form with truss members which integrally connect the tension and compression members thereof and diverge downwardly on opposite sides of the center sill, the truss members being respectively connected l to the tension member at points in substantial vertical alignment with the sides of the center sill and the compression members extending up- Wardly from points adjacent the lower ends of the truss members and merging with the tension member adjacent the outer ends thereof.

A further feature of the invention consists in providing a body bolster of truss form having compression members which merge with the tension member at the ends of the latter with downwardly depending portions for attachment to the side sills of the car.

Another feature of the invention consists in providing the body bolster with a lower plate member which is formed with an upstanding transversely extending hollow casting rigidifying the bolster at the portions thereof cooperable with the side bearings of the car and affording convenient means for uniting the diagonally extending members of the bolster with the plate portion.

Other and more specic features of the invention, residing in advantageous forms, combinations and relations of parts, will hereinafter appear and be pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the portion of a railway hopper car adjacent one of the body bolsters, parts of the floor sheets of the car being broken away.

1934, Serial N0. 737,973

Figure 2 is a side elevational View of the body bolster and associated parts of the car .as seen looking toward the center of the car.

Figure 3 is a plan view, partly in elevation and partly in section, the floor sheets being removed, of one of the end portions of the car.

Figure 4 is an enlarged end view of the body bolster. i

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional View taken o-n line 5 5 of Figure 2, the center sill being omitted.

Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9 are enlarged detail sectional views taken respectively on lines 8 6,

7 1, 8 8 and 9 9 of Figure 2, the bottom many features of the invention may apply with equal facility and effectiveness to cars of other types, such, for instance, as those customarily referred to as gondola cars.

Referring more particularly to the drawings,

I indicates the car center sill, which, as shown, g

may advantageously be formed as a unitary member comprising a top wall 2 and downwardly extending side walls 3 which terminate in laterally projecting flanges 4. Paralleling the center sill along opposite sides of the car are the side sills 5 which may be conveniently of angle shape to provide .a substantially vertical plate portion 6 and a substantially horizontal inwardly projecting plate portion l. At their ends, the side sills are rigidly connected to each other and to the center sill by end sills 8 which may also be of angle shape to provide plate portions 9 and I0 respectively corresponding to the vertical and horizontal plate portions 6 and 'I of the side sills.

The body bolster, generally designated by the reference numeral II, is of truss form and may conveniently be cast as a unitary structure. The bolster includes a tension member I2 .extending continuously from one side of the car to the other in spaced relation to the top of the center sill and compression members I3 which extend outwardly from opposite sides of the -center sill. The tension member is formed with an inclined top ange or plate portion I4 underlying and rigidly secured to the inclined floor sheets I5 of the car and with a downwardly extending plate portion I6 which inclines rearwardly from the forward edge of the top plate |4 and terminates in a substantially vertical plate portion |1 forming with other parts of the body bolster a centrally disposed web. The top plate i4 may, if desired, be formed with rearwardly extending projections I1 which underlie and thus support the forward ends of angularlyshaped members I9, which extend beneath and rigidity the portion of the car floor between the body bolster and the adjacent end of the car, portions of these members being illustrated in Figure 5. The compression members I3 have substantially horizontally extending portions 20, each of which is formed with a bottom plate member 2| and an upwardly projecting iiange 22 which constitutes a part of the centrally disposed web of the bolster. Adjacent their inner ends, the bottom plate members 2l overlap and are rigidly secured to the laterally projecting flanges 4 of the center sill and they are provided with upwardly projecting extensions 23 for attachment to the side walls S of the center sill. The side bearings of the car (not shown) are adapted to cooperate with the outer end portions of the plate members 2| and, at these points, they are preferably enlarged laterally, as indicated at 24.

The tension and compression members are integrally united by truss members 25 which diverge downwardly on opposite sides of the center sill from the tension member at points in substantial vertical alignment with the side walls of the center sill, being joined with the compression members at the portions thereof which are cooperable with the side bearings of the car. From these portions, the compression members extend upwardly and merge with the tension member adjacent the outer ends thereof. The upwardly inclined portions of the compression members, designated by the numeral 26, together with the truss members 25, are of substantially cruciform shape in cross section, the truss members having plate portions 21 and 28 and the upwardly cxtending portions of the compression member having plate portions 29 and 30. The plate portions 21 and 29 of the truss and compression members respectively form a part of the central web of the bolster and the outer edges of the plate portions 30 are preferably formed with flanges cr ribs 3| which serve to additionally rigidify the bolster against transverse bending strains caused by buiing and draft forces.

The portions 24 of the bottom plate member 2| of the bolster are integrally formed with upwardly projecting transversely extending hollow members 33. These members serve to rigidity the bolster at the portions which cooperate with the side bearings of the car and, in addition to this desirable function, they serve to join the plate portions 28 and 30 of the truss members 25 and the upwardly inclined portions of the compression members to the bottom plate 2| of the bolster. By connecting these plate portions to the plate member 2| in this fashion, concentration of a relatively large solid mass of metal at the points where these members of the bolster would otherwise intersect is prevented, thus the possibility of the bolster being weakened at these points, due to shrinkage cracks, is practically entirely eliminated. On opposite sides of the central web of the bolster, the members 33 are formed with openings 33a for receiving a suitable tool to rivet the bottom cover plate 2|a to the underside of the bottom plate 2| of the bolster. the bottom cover plate, in addition to being secured to the bolster at a number of points along the bottom plate 2|, being also secured tol the laterally projecting flanges 4 of the center sill. While the members 33 are shown as being substantially semi-cylindrical in cross section, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the results obtained by providing the bolster with such members may be as electively produced by hollow members of other cross sectional shapes.

Adjacent its outer ends, the body bolster is formed with rigid members 34 which depend from the outer ends of the compression members I3 for attachment to the side sills of the car and to provide the bolster with extended areas to which adjoining side stakes 35 of the car may be secured. Each of these'members is formed with an end ilange 36 secured to the vertical plate portion B of the adjacent side sill, with a bottom flange 31 secured to the horizontal plate portion of the side sill and with a vertical portion 38 which constitutes a continuation of the central web of the bolster. The side stakes 35, which are disposed within the car body, are of angular shape, having a flange 39 to which the side sheets of the car are secured and a flange 4D which is secured to the outer end portions of the web of the bolster and the vertical portions 38 of the depending members 34. Like the depending members 34, the side stakes 35 are formed with bottom flanges 4| which are secured to the horizontal plate portions 1 of the side sills and, together with the bottom anges 31, aord portions for cooperating with jacks or the like to elevate the body of the car relatively to the car trucks.

To prevent lading becoming entrapped behind the side stakes 35, the portions of the top ange i4 of the tension member of the bolster which extend from the inner edges of the stakes to the car sides are inclined upwardly, as at 42, so as to lie in planes substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the car and the portions of the oor sheets of the car overlying these portions of the bolster are similarly inclined, as indicated at 43 in Figure 1. To support the portions of the floor sheets of the car adjoining the front face of the side stakes and to also close the openings cut in the floor sheets to' receive the side stakes, the latter may be integrally formed with lugs or projections 44, the upper surfaces of which are inclined to lie in planes substantially parallel with the plane of the oor.

Depending downwardly from the tension member at the points where the truss members 25 respectively intersect it are rigid members 45, each of which comprises a substantially triangularly shaped plate portion 46 extending transversely of the bolster and a laterally projecting flange or the like 41 which forms a part of the central web of the bolster. At their lower ends, the members 45 are integrally connected by a substantially horizontal plate portion 48 which overlies and is rigidly secured to the top of the center sill. This plate portion, together with the members 45, projects a relatively great distance from the bolster toward the center of the car, thus serving to effectively resist overturning tendencies of the bolster caused by builing and draft forces. Moreover, these members, since they project a relatively great distance toward the center of the car in overlapping relation to the top of the center sill, function to reinforce the center sill against upward movement adjacent the inner side of the bolster, which movement has been found to result from severe bufng forces.

In addition to being connected by the horizontal plate portion 4B, the members 45 may be also joined adjacent their upper ends by a central web 49 and at their lower ends by a web 50 and also by a wall portion I, which is formed integrally with reinforcing flanges 52 projecting inwardly from the marginal edges of the plate portions 45. By connecting the members 45 in this manner, it will be appreciated that they, in effect, form one rigid member having plate portions which extend downwardly from the tension member at points adjacent the upper edges of the truss members 25. V

Extending diagonally inwardly from the corners of the car are braces 53 having a longitudinally extending reinforcing corrugation 54, which inwardly of the ends of the braces merge into the body portion thereof to provide plate-like end portions 55 and 56. Each of the outer end portions 55 of the braces is secured to a gusset plate 51, which, in turn, is connected by rivets to the upper side of the horizontal plate portion 1 of the side sill and to the under side of the horizontal plate portion I0 of the end sill, the brace being interposed between the gusset and the horizontal portion of the end sill and being connected to the latter and the horizontal portion of the side sill by many of the rivets which connect the gusset to those parts of the sills. By connecting the braces to the sills in this manner, it will be perceived that an extremely rigid construction is produced, as many of the connecting rivets are in double shear. The plate portions 56 at the inner ends of the braces are disposed closely adjacent each other and are interposed between the top of the center sill and the horizontal plate portion 48 of the body bolster, being secured to the center sill by many of the rivets employed for connecting the plate 48 thereto and by additional rivets 58 which are disposed within an opening 59 in the plate portion. If desired, the plate 48 may be offset upwardly, as indicated at 60, for

:receiving the end portions 46 of the braces. This manner of connecting the diagonal braces to the center sill results in rigidifying the ends of the car underframe to a much greater extent than has heretofore been considered possible. 'I'he strength of the connection between the braces and center sill is not dependent, as has been the case in the past, upon a bracket which is customarily secured to the center sill and sometimes to the bolster as well and, moreover, the braces may be disposed at a less angle to the center sill, which is, obviously, desirable, since it is possible for them to extend onto the other side of the bolster.

What I claim is:

1. In a railway car, the combination with a center sill, of diagonal braces extending inwardly from the corners of the car and having portions disposed in overlapping relation to the top of the center sill, a body bolster having a rigid portion disposed in overlapping relation to said portions of the braces, and means passing through the latter for connecting the braces directly to the body bolster and center sill.

2. In a railway car, the combination with a center sill, of an end sill, side sills secured to the end sill, a body bolster having a portion overlying and rigidly secured to the top of the center sill, and braces extending diagonally inward from adjacent the points of connection of the end and side sills and rigidly secured to the top of the center sill between the latter and said portion of the bolster.

3. In a railway hopper car, the combination with a center sill, of an end sill, side sills secured to the end sill, of a body bolster involving a tension member disposed above the center sill, said bolster being provided with rigid means extending downwardly from the tension member and rigidly secured to the top of the center sill, and braces extending diagonally inward from adjacent the points of connection of the end and side sills and having portions interposed between the top of the center sill and said downwardly extending means of the bolster, said portions of the braces being rigidly secured to the center sill.

4. A railway car having a cast metal transversely extending load carrying member of truss form provided with top and bottom plate members, diagonal members integrally connecting said plate members and respectively having plate portions disposed in planes intersecting each other in a line adjacent to and substantially parallel with one of said plate members, said last named plate member being integrally formed with a laterally oiset transversely extending hol-- low member uniting said plate portions to said plate member.

5. A railway car having a cast metal transverse load carrying member of truss form provided with top and bottom plate members, one of said members having a laterally oiTset transversely extending hollow member, and diagonal members connecting said plate members and respectively having plate portions angularly disposed With respect to each other and integrally joined to said hollow member at spacedpoints.

6. A railway car body bolster having a bottom plate member provided with portions adapted to cooperate with the side bearings of the car, each of said portions being provided with an upwardly projecting transversely extending hollow reinforcing member.

'7. A railway car body bolster of truss form having a bottom plate member provided with portions adapted to cooperate with the side bearings of the car, each of said portions having an upwardly projecting transversely extending reinforcing member, the side edges of each reinforcing member being integral with the plate member and portions thereof intermediate its side edges being spaced from the plate member, said body bolster also having truss members integrally connected to said reinforcing members intermediate the side edges thereof.

WILLIAM E. WINE. 

